Often heard, frequently misunderstood, “biosecurity” is a set of practices that all poultry owners should know and implement to protect their poultry flocks from a disease. Birds that are raised under pastured or free-range management styles are particularly in need of attention due to their increased exposure to environmental disease sources.
What is biosecurity?...
One of the key success factors in poultry farming is strick biosecurity. Some farms, out of ignorance or carefree attitude, pay little attention to biosecurity, especially in developing countries.
Every serious poultry farmer must pay and give special attention to biosecurity if he must succeed and remain in business, especially in this dispensation.
Biosecurity may look expensive especially when the cost of some of the needfuls are considered, but it pays off in the long run, especially in view of the huge capital investment that the sector requires.
I would advise every serious practicing poultry farmer that value his investment not to compromise on this and also not underestimate it. Nice topic and practical logical steps, already emphasized.
Well explained. Is the use of phytobiotics and vaccines in preventing disease occurance in Poultry production also classified as biosecurity measures? Please i need more explanation.
Tx Ikpe Juliana (juliananikpe@gmail.com)
Biosecurity goes beyond cost but includes caution on the part of the poultry farmers. Our eggs sales point should be separated from our operation completely and where possible, we should find a way to get our spent layers to the buyers without them getting close to our pens. This also helps in reducing farm to farm transfer of diseases. Just an additional information. Ayinla Semiu
Ayinla Semiu thanks my dear. but some farmers do not have space even to separate their egg sales point, can they not use disinfectant to achieve some level of sanity in their farms? thanks.
Bio-security is a key to successful poultry production when implemented to the fullest... in the long run it reduces on cost that would result if not taken in to consideration
It is very pertinent. To make profit in Poultry Business., bio security is key. Its a very useful information and for us to succeed on this business, we will continue to develop in it.
Very nice and useful information for any bird and animal forms . Air quality , Potable Water and healthy Food with healthy environment are the key points for bio security . People who are engaged in day to day operations are to be checked for their health . In western countries generally Food is different from medicine where as Countries like India Food itself serves both as Medicine and Food which maintains self Immune system . Every body to think in those lines in future to save our future generations from unknown diseases .
Thanking you all .
In order to biosecurity in the farm easy to controlled then We must devide become three zone in the farm. It's dirty zone ( red zone), intermediate zone ( yellow zone) and clean zone ( green zone). If we will enter to intermediate zone then we must change our clothes, shower with soap and shampoo. What we do to vehicle and things, they was all washed and spray with desinfectan. That's so we do if we will enter to clean area or hen houses. I am still trush
Perhaps before elaborating on the risk imposed by free range flocks, one should examine the practices in poultry enterprises that should be the bastions of biosecurity - indoor breeder flocks. The epidemiological study by APHIS USDA (https://www.aphis.usda.gov/animal_health/animal_dis_spec/poultry/downloads/epi-ai.pdf) following the outbreaks early this year in 8 indoor breeder flocks (owned by 5 companies in 4 different USA states), demonstrates significant fundamental issues of structure and concepts that enable the ingress of avian influenza into flocks that should demonstrate to other producers that practical biosecurity is achievable.
The vast majority of flocks that contracted AI in USA or Europe were either indoor poultry flocks.or mixed free range flocks where domestic ducks, the ultimate catalyst of AI, were mixed with other poultry species.
Avoiding this practice is where biosecurity begins!.
Christopher Hettiarachchi - Sri Lanka
Thorough cleaning & disinfection of the cages, particularly in all in all out close house broiler operation is very important. To this, introduction of another component, microbiological testing the surfaces can give better results. Following practice yielded good results; First the litter from the previous batch is removed, washed all the surfaces using a high pressure gun with water. Then spray the house with a mixture containing a surfactant and a disinfectant and leave over night. This will loosen the biofilms and use high pressure gun to wash the surfaces with water on the following day. Now disinfect the house by fogging with a disinfectant containing gluteraldehyde and BKC (tertiary ammonium compound) and leave over night. After this contact time, test the surfaces with contact slides to enumerate total count & Coliform, & to detect presence or absence of Salmonella. Entire house can be divided in to 3 or 4 zones for this purpose. Read the results after 18 to 24 hours and depending on the reading alert the farm manager if the counts are extremely high and let the disinfection is repeated. Eight to ten litters of a disinfectant containing 15% gluteraldehyde and 10% BKC dissolved in 1000 liters of water could go in a close house of about 400 feet by 40 feet. After placing the chicks, monitor the mortality during first 7 days and test if abnormal mortality occurs with, total count agar, Macconkey agar & XLD agar. If a bacterial infection comes with the chick, this test would detect it and the farmer can inform the hatchery. This procedure would give improved FCR, higher survival and fast growth batch by batch.
I would like to suggest the scientific community to search for natural essential oils which are useful for Bio security in the long run for echo free environment .
That's a nice article on BIOSECURITY. But one aspect of it is to adopt a "all-in-all-out" approach on our farms, and to avoid multi-aged flocks. It also requires the efforts and contributions from all stake holders. Farm owners as well as employees must be committed to the cause.